Choosing Landscape Evergreens

If you know anything about landscaping and landscape design, then you are aware that evergreens (bushes or trees that don’t drop their leaves or needles) are the foundation of proper form and function. But what evergreens are the best for the typical home landscape and are they high or low maintenance?

With that in mind, I am going to list four of my favorite evergreen shrubs that you should consider for your landscape.

Taxus Yews

Taxus Yews are the most common evergreen bush found around foundations from the near south to the Midwest and all the way out east. They have dark green foliage and the new growth each spring is lighter neon or pale. They make a great backdrop to your landscape plants and flowers and they are not susceptible to insects or disease. Yews can also take a tight sheering, so if you are looking to carve cartoon characters into your bushes, Yews will be just fine. The only drawback I can see with Taxus Yews is that they are just way too common and boring.

Arbovitae

Also called “cedars,” arborvitae bushes are a more modern evergreen and can be shaped into many forms such as upright, globe or even grown together in mass into hedges for screening. The arborvitae also gives off a sweet smell when trimmed. They do get bagworms and spider mites, but those are easily knocked out with proper applications. The biggest problem I have found with Arbs is their weakness when snow gets piled on them during winter.

Evergreen Boxwoods

Since we are looking at evergreens that are getting prettier by succession, we should talk about the boxwood. These guys look more like a traditional leafy bush or shrub but dont drop their leaves in colder weather. They can be trimmed very tightly and are low maintenance because they are slow growing. The will, however, dry out if hit with cold winter winds, so plant them in a more protected area.

Holly Bushes

Good old holly evergreens are my favorites. They have a stately, yet wild appearance and can grow in any form and achieve any size. Their prickly leaves give a nice change to the boring evergreen family. They can get a few insect issues, but not many. These are your best choice for originality and classy design.

These are just a few of the basic evergreen bushes or shrubs available to act as a foundation for the rest of your landscape. As always, check with your local nursery to find out which ones will work best in the area of the country you live in.